What are the rules for using a comma? Here are some things to know.
RULES FOR USING COMMA – This punctuation mark is used to separate parts of a sentence, and here are its rules.
When it comes to sentence construction, the use of punctuation marks is crucial for clarity and to avoid misinterpretation. One of the punctuations that often confuses people is the comma (,) as to how it is correctly used in a sentence. As much as we all know, a comma separates words, phrases, and clauses. Proper usage of this punctuation mark must be observed to avoid confusion and ambiguous and grammatically incorrect sentence construction.
The rules
- To separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions, such as “and,” “but,” “for,” “or,” “nor,” “so,” or “yet.”
Example:
I love reading, but my sister hates it.
- To set apart introductory phrases, clauses, or words that come before the main clause.
Example:
After everything, I still love him dearly.
- To set apart non-essential appositives or clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Put a comma before and after the word, phrase, or clause to indicate the pause.
Example:
My best friend, Anne, has a pet dog.
- Do not use commas in “that” clauses or relative clauses.
Example:
It is important to note that you do not put a comma in this sentence.
- To separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.
Example:
I went to Cebu, Siquijor, and Dumaguete this summer.
- To separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun.
Example:
Those big, brown eyes stared down at me.
- To separate all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.
Example:
On April 12, 2025, Ken, my husband, went to Gastown in Vancouver, Canada.
When to use commas?
- Separating items in a list of three or more
- Connecting two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction
- Setting apart non-restrictive relative clauses
- Setting apart nonessential appositives
- Setting apart introductory phrases
- Setting apart interrupters and parenthetical elements
- Setting apart question tags
- Setting apart names in direct address
- Separating parts of a date
- Separating parts of a location, like a city and its country
- Separating multiple coordinating adjectives
- Separating quotations and attributive tags